Tom Fox interview in The Independent

[Clampy]

I've not read the interview, I can't be bothered. It's been and gone.

[passport1]

fish and chip paper I would have thought.

[Dave]

fish and chip paper I would have thought.

Online only these days I think. So not even that.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

My top 10 charlatans of the Lerner era...

1 Lerner
2 Lerner
3 Lerner
4 Lerner
5 Lerner
6 Lerner
7 Lerner
8 Lerner
9 Lerner
10 Lerner

Well done, Randy!

 

[Simon Page]

Amazed how he stepped into a good job after abject failure.

Because he's a typical business manager and that's how he comes across in the interview. A load of excuses, selective memory, hopelessly ineffective but networks in the right circles. You find Tom Fox in every business, every organisation, every sector. They're usually in HR or finance, but a few make it to department heads. Who was it Jarvis Cocker said are still ruling the world?

[rob_bridge]

Top 10 Charlatans of the Lerner Era
1 Randy I was not quite as bad as Doug
2 Martin shyster Oniel
3 Tom Fox
4 Paul Lambert
5 Gabby
6. Zogbia
7 Micah
8 Black
9 Faulkner
10 Lescott
Have I left any one out?

Gabby was good for the first 5 years.

Put Stephen Ireland in instead of him

The fact that we can genuinely name an entire match day squad not just a top 10 of charlatans (The General, Dim Tim, the training ground bullies Karsa and Culverhouse and Stephen Ireland could also easily be on such a list) just shows the complete and utter mess we got ourselves in.

In many ways It's incredible we didn't do a Sunderland really.

Incredible we didn't do a Wolves 1983-86

[Kevin Dawson]

"He appointed much-maligned recruitment pair Hendrik Almstadt and Paddy Riley". 

Nothing more to be said.

"He appointed notorious charlatan and bell-end Tim Sherwood" probably has to be said.

Who gave us two (and possibly three) of the best days we'll ever have....i.e Tesco's in the QF, Liverpool in the semi....let's get real..as much as Sherwood had his limitations he at least gave us something.....

[West Derby Villan]

"He appointed much-maligned recruitment pair Hendrik Almstadt and Paddy Riley". 

Nothing more to be said.

"He appointed notorious charlatan and bell-end Tim Sherwood" probably has to be said.

Who gave us two (and possibly three) of the best days we'll ever have....i.e Tesco's in the QF, Liverpool in the semi....let's get real..as much as Sherwood had his limitations he at least gave us something.....

Agreed, happiness!

[cheltenhamlion]

Amongst all the mud slinging though I was startled to read we only increased our non television revenue by 14m over the decade Lerner was in charge.

When teams at the top of the premier league are getting their training grounds sponsored for big money, you realise how we failed to cash in on regular top 6 finishes on and off the pitch.

That comment did not make any sense to me.

Tough for me this because I met Fox loads of times and he isn't a bad bloke. His general ideas on structuring us were very good. He just didn't know what good looked like with WHO should do those jobs. And he talked Yank Marketing language that most cannot distinguish between the lines on.

When it comes to our shit merchandising performance though, the figures that came from the back of what Faulkner agreed to were fucking harrowing. We were losing significant amounts of money on merchandising by grotesquely over buying as part of the contract. We essentially were paying Macron or whoever the fuck it was to make our shit garments.

[cheltenhamlion]

I never took the personal criticism personally.

Apart from banning protest banners, ordering stewards to drag banners out of the hands of fans and so on. Twat.

Didn't take to him at the consultation group not long after he arrived. Same went for that Charlie Wijeratna.

Wasn't his ban. Didn't have security guards. Over zealous stewards who were worrying That, if they let our unabated bitching go On, there would be a riot.

[cheltenhamlion]

“It was a difficult environment for anyone to come into. I still think Remi Garde will find his way into the Premier League. He’s got too much knowledge and experience not to.”

Absolutely no chance at all, the guy just hasn't got the right personality, he's the main one I blame for the relegation, he was hopeless.

Was he bollocks. He was a very nice and reasoned chap who picked up on the dressing room shit and wanted it culled within half an hour of arriving.

[cheltenhamlion]

The one thing of note was he said Delph could have left for nothing, but he signed a new deal allowing Villa a transfer fee. Maybe we were a little harsh on Delph under those circumstances.
It just goes to show how poor we were run & how much money was wasted on our last summer transfer window in the prem. No wonder it gave Di Matteo problems to try to replace a squad,
then Bruce to come & help turn us around. Here is hoping that with Zia at the top things are run
more professionally.

I have done the Delph timetable pre sale on his own thread a couple of weeks ago.

[kipeye]

He was one I got totally wrong. It seemed he did everything right at the beginning, little did I know. I guess that is how it is, you don't really get to know what really goes on no matter how much chatter is posted, good or bad.

[garyshawsknee]

“It was a difficult environment for anyone to come into. I still think Remi Garde will find his way into the Premier League. He’s got too much knowledge and experience not to.”

Absolutely no chance at all, the guy just hasn't got the right personality, he's the main one I blame for the relegation, he was hopeless.

Was he bollocks. He was a very nice and reasoned chap who picked up on the dressing room shit and wanted it culled within half an hour of arriving.

Well said CL. Out of all the people working at the club at the time of relegation, Garde would be at the back of the blame queue. Came in at the worse time in modern history and had no backing at all.

[Damo70]

He has "No bitterness and no regret". I wish I could say the same about his time in charge. He is now running a club in a league system where it is impossible for them to be relegated. He will probably have to settle for just bankrupting them instead.